


Between the Stars and Shadows

by darlington



Category: Among Us (Video Game), Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Among Us (Video Game) Setting, Angst, Betrayal, Blood and Gore, Character Death, Crack Fic, Dark, Deception, Dubious Consent, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Manipulation, Murder Mystery, Obsession, Outer Space, Self Indulgent Garbage, third imposter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:07:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27312361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darlington/pseuds/darlington
Summary: There's a killer among them, and he has his sights set on Sakura.
Relationships: Black/Pink (Among Us), Crewmate/Impostor (Among Us), Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Madara
Comments: 49
Kudos: 184





	1. I.

**Author's Note:**

> the among us x madasaku crossover that no one asked for

“Will you inspect the medical samples for me? I’m running late for my meeting with Hashirama,” Tsunade said, glancing at the small classical silver watch on her wrist. It was peculiar that she wore a watch over her green space suit when the Artemis line of suits had digital screens with all the useful information anyone could need—time, heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and most importantly, the emergency button.

“Of course.” Sakura pushed away from her desk and made her way to the machine next to the scanner. ”I’ll take care of it.”

“Thank you,” Tsunade called from the doorway. The purple diamond on her helmet glinted in the light. “Someone should be coming by to drop off last week’s physicals that Orochimaru conducted as well.” Then she was gone.

“Got it,” Sakura replied to the empty Medbay. At least she had the metronome-like beeping of active medical equipment to keep her company. Anything was better than silence.

She sat down and with the press of a button, the inspection machine stirred to life. It hummed and buzzed as reagents were deposited into five test tubes. _ETA 59_. Approximately 12 minutes for each vial, it would take about an hour before she could inspect the samples. She typed down preliminary notes of the iris substance when a knock on the door startled her.

“Did you forget—” A towering figure stood just outside the door, and for a moment, her mind went blank. Black. “Oh, hello Madara. Come in! I wasn’t expecting someone so soon,” she said hastily as her brain connected the color of the suit to the wearer. She wasn’t expecting _him_ in particular either.

Madara Uchiha wasn’t someone she crossed paths with often. In fact, in the year that the crew was together, they had barely exchanged more than a couple sentences. She patched him up once—after the incident on Polus—but her attempts of comfort and support were met with a frosty silence. She didn’t blame him; everyone had different coping mechanisms. It was a horrific tragedy and the loss was staggering. The Skeld used to have 30 crewmates, but after the accident, they were down to a third. Madara’s loss was far more personal, however. She lost friends and co-workers. He lost his younger brother.

He strode across the room with a clear plastic box she assumed contained the files from Orochimaru. His carbon black suit and imposing figure made him look more like a covert agent than the Weapons commander on the spaceship. She glanced down at her own pink suit and flushed at the stark contrast. Thankfully he couldn’t see inside her helmet.

“These are the physicals?” she asked, taking the box and setting it on her desk.

“Yes,” Madara answered from behind her, his voice low and dispassionate.

“Thank you.” She turned and clasped her hands together in front of her—a nervous habit. “How...are you holding up?”

His black helmet tilted down, as if to look directly at her. Their height difference was considerable; he stood head and shoulders above her. “Fine.” 

Sakura wished that she could see his expression; people were far easier to read that way. Faces were expressive. Body language to a lesser degree, but he gave off nothing. She bit her lip in hesitation. “If you need anything...please let me know. You don’t have to carry the pain by yourself.” She wasn’t sure why she said it; she hardly even knew the man, but he always seemed to be alone after the incident and she knew silence could be suffocating when you were stuck in your own head.

Madara tilted his head slightly, saying nothing as he stared at her.

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

The medical equipment droned on, almost in tandem with her heartbeat. She wrung her hands. Were her words out line?

He turned on his heels and headed towards the exit without saying a word. Like every other time. Sakura lifted a hand after him, and that was when she noticed it. Red on her pink glove. Blood. Confusion filled her as her lips parted. “Wait!”

He stopped.

She looked down at her hands but there was only blood on a single glove; the right one. Turning back, she looked at the box and found blood on the bottom edge of one side. Her brows furrowed. Was he hurt? She ran up to him and grabbed his hand. There was a deep gash that cut through his glove on his palm, still oozing a bit of blood. “What happened?” She glanced up at him with concern.

He jerked his hand back. “I used too much force slicing an apple in my hand.” His tone was sharp. Cold.

She tsked and grabbed his hand again, giving him a tug. “That’s why you need to use a cutting board. Or just bite right into it.”

“Izuna liked his apples cut neatly.”

_Oh_. Izuna was his brother. Emotion welled in her throat as the thought crossed her mind; did he cut apples the way his fallen brother liked them to honor his memory?

Madara pulled his hand back but Sakura grabbed his wrist, feeling guilty. “It’s deep, let me stitch you up,” she murmured while staring at the ground.

He pulled his wrist back. “I’m busy.”

She grabbed it again and held tight. “I’ll be fast, I promise.” Several heartbeats passed, and her next word was uttered barely above a whisper. “Please.”

Madara released a heavy sigh and gave into the young medic, striding deeper into Medbay.

Sakura exhaled in relief; she didn't like the way guilt sat like lead in the pit of her stomach. “Remove your glove for me,” she called, pulling out her surgical kit. Antiseptic solution, gauze, suture set, and medical tape.

He set the black glove beside him and brought his hand to the table, palm up. His hands were big, fingers broad. She could see his wrist, his tendon, and a glimpse of the veins that ran up his inner arm. His hand reminded her of a marble statue from the Renaissance, maybe Michelangelo’s sculpture of David.

She sat down and laid out the materials before inspecting the wound. It was nearly three inches in length and looked to be a clean cut, but fairly deep. Just how much strength did he exert cutting an apple? “This is going to sting,” she warned, pouring the antiseptic solution into the gauze. He was silent as she thoroughly cleaned his wound; didn’t move a single muscle, not even a twitch when her needle pierced his flesh. She concentrated on the task before her and made quick work of stitching and then bandaging.

When she finished, he lifted his hand and inspected it himself. Before he could test the range of his finger’s movement by clenching his fist, she grabbed his hand. “Please don’t pull the fresh sutures. You’re left handed for the rest of the week.”

He stared at her slim fingers wrapped around his much larger hand. “Very well.”

Sakura quickly released him, realizing that she had been far too hands-on, more than a doctor should be with a patient, and she barely knew him on top of that.

“Thank you,” Madara said, rising to his full height. He looked down at her and she stared up at him.

“You’re welcome.” Her voice came out a pitch higher than usual. “Come back in a week so I can remove the stitches.”

He nodded and left.

Sakura snapped out of it and checked the time—twenty five minutes before she could inspect the samples. She cleaned off the blood on her glove and the box, then started organizing the physicals. Everyone had their own folder in the cabinet; the folders of the deceased were still there as well. She thumbed past Izuna Uchiha's folder and paused.

That was when the digital screen on her arm started blaring. Not even a second later, the spaceship’s emergency sirens went off as well.

_Emergency meeting called. Report to the cafeteria._

_Emergency meeting called. Report to the cafeteria._

_Emergency meeting called. Report to the cafeteria._

Panic seized her. What was going on? Was there another accident? The last time an emergency meeting was called was on Polus. The accident that changed everyone’s lives. She dropped all the papers and sprinted to the cafeteria, which was only down the hallway from Medbay.

At the centermost table she saw green, brown, and yellow suits. Tsunade, Hashirama, and Minato. She was one of the first to arrive.

“What happened?” Sakura panted, reaching the table.

Tsunade turned to her. “We’ll explain when everyone arrives.”

“B-but.” _I need to know as a medical personnel_ , she wanted to say but held her tongue. If there was a medical emergency Tsunade could’ve handled it as well. Now, more than ever, she wished that it wasn’t protocol to wear the helmets. She was desperate to see Tsunade’s face to gauge how grave the situation was. Forcing herself to take deep breaths, she sat down and waited for everyone else.

Tobirama, in his pristine blue suit, was the next to arrive. He took his place next to Hashirama. Itachi and Obito came together, red and orange—they worked together in security. Madara followed shortly after, his black glove now replaced. She tried to catch his attention but he didn’t look her way. Next was Orochimaru. He took his time, casually walking in like it was his lunch break. His purple suit looked disheveled.

Everyone took their seat around the table except for Hashirama. He paced back and forth, hands behind him. “Now that we’re all here…” he started, clearing his throat. Something was very wrong. She could hear the pained tone of his voice.

_Wait._ Sakura glanced around the table and counted nine. “We’re missing Kakashi,” she interjected.

Hashirama stared at her for a long moment until Tsunade put a hand on his shoulder. She gave him a squeeze. “Kakashi...Kakashi is dead.”

Gasps and startled shouts filled the cafeteria, but Sakura was silent. The din around her turned into a dull static background noise, everything around her blurred, her attention hyper focused on Hashirama. She didn’t hear him properly. “We’re missing Kakashi,” she repeated.

This time it was Tsunade who spoke, her voice loud and clear. “Kakashi is dead. Minato found his body in the electrical room.”

_Kakashi’s...body? No. No. No. No. No. No._

“Quiet!” Tobirama’s voice cut like a knife through the noise.

“Someone shot him in the back of the head,” Minato said quietly. “I found him in the back next to the calibration distributor. Two bullets, the size of .22s. His body was still warm.” His voice cracked at the last word and Sakura felt the tears well up in her eyes.

_No. No. No. How could it be?_

There were only ten people on the Skeld and they had been together since the start of the Polus mission a year ago. They all knew each other. They all worked together. They all ate together. They all laughed and cried together.

Hashirama slammed his hand down on the table as questions from everyone began to overflow like boiling water. “We have an imposter among us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy halloween! inspired by [this cosplay](https://twitter.com/peachieteas/status/1309994574035775489/photo/1)


	2. II.

“We left Polus with 10 crewmates. One is dead.”

“So the killer is among us,” Sakura whispered under her breath in disbelief, head in her hands and elbows on the table. Her eyes swam with tears, making her vision blurry. _Who would kill Kakashi_? _And why_? _Hadn’t they lost enough already_?

“Do we have more information?” Tobirama asked, leaning forward.

Tsunade nodded. “This was recent. His joints and muscles aren’t stiff. Rigor mortis sets in after a couples hours—two to three, given the temperature of the electrical room. I tested the muscles of his jaws and neck where stiffening would begin and they were still soft. The blood splatter on the wall also hasn’t fully dried yet.”

Sakura clung to Tsunade’s words like a life raft in the turbulent sea of her panicked-mind. Medical examination was what she knew. Even if nothing else made sense, this was something she was familiar with. The gears in her brain turned. If his muscles hadn’t yet stiffened, then his body was still receiving oxygen anaerobically. Rigor mortis was in the absent stage, which meant...

“The evidence indicates that Kakashi Hatake was killed within the last hour,” Tsunade voiced Sakura’s thoughts. “Of course, this is simply my preliminary evaluation. I still have to conduct a full autopsy on his body.”

“Tsunade and I will oversee the investigation. For now,” Hashirama paused, giving a slow sweep around the table, “everyone is a suspect.” It was his captain voice; severe and authoritative, one that rarely emerged from a man so warm and easy-going.

A chill snaked down Sakura’s spine at the weight of his words. She looked to her left, then her right. All familiar colors, familiar suits. Red, Itachi. Orange, Obito. Black, Madara. Purple, Orochimaru. Yellow, Minato. Blue, Tobirama. Brown, Hashirama. Green, Tsunade. The person who killed Kakashi in cold blood was sitting at this very table. She didn’t want to believe that someone among them was a murderer, not when she had been living and working with everyone for over a year now. But Kakashi was dead. Kakashi, who had been both her mentor and friend while she was training for the Polus mission, was gone.

Just like that.

Several tears escaped her eyes against her attempt to hold them in. She had to consciously regulate her breathing so that her helmet wouldn’t fog up. Blinking rapidly to clear her vision, she glanced down at the small screen on her arm. Her heart read 102 beats per minute, a significant increase from the 70 bpm average. She willed herself to calm down, reminding herself that now wasn’t the time to panic. Everyone else was surely devastated and reeling from the shock, but they kept calm and she had to as well.

“We need everyone’s location within the last hour.” Hashirama’s tone was grave. “Starting with Itachi and Obito.”

Itachi and Obito both worked in security, so it was logical to start with them.

“I’ve been working since morning,” Itachi spoke first. “I brought coffee with me and skipped lunch, so I didn’t leave the office until this meeting.”

“Were you on the cam—”

Hashirama raised a hand to cut Tobirama off. “I’ll be asking the questions.”

“I _was_ on the security cameras, but there’s no camera in the electrical hallway. I saw people pass through other cameras, but there’s not enough vision throughout the Skeld to determine pathing from the cameras we have alone.”

“How convenient that vision is limited,” Orochimaru remarked; something suspiciously sly in his undertone.

Many equipment were damaged or destroyed after the Polus accident. Security took the biggest hit, as most of the cameras were gone—including all SD cards and backups. That meant no camera memory. They couldn’t play anything back.

“We only have four working cameras left. Locations were proposed and agreed by majority vote,” Itachi stated calmly, not rising to Orochimaru’s bait. “If you don’t recall, the cameras are in Admin hall, outside of Security and Reactor, Navigation hall, and Medbay hall. Resources are limited so unfortunately there’s plenty of blind spots.”

Minato crossed his arms, murmuring to himself, “Three paths to electricity.”

“Southbound from the reactor and security hall, southbound from the cafeteria and admin hall, or eastbound from communications,” Itachi filled in.

“Obito what did you see?” Hashirama asked, rubbing his helmet where his chin would’ve been if it wasn’t on. Old habits die hard.

Obito straightened as he answered, “I wasn’t there the entire time. I fixed the wiring in Security before going up to the upper engine to divert the power. Three switches were overloaded so I had to fix them. Then I returned to Security.”

Hashirama turned to Itachi for confirmation.

“That’s true, I saw him go up from the Reactor-Security camera and he didn’t pass through the Medbay hall camera, so he did stay in the upper engine—approximately twenty to twenty-five minutes before heading back down to Security, where he stayed with me. No one went south past Security at all today.”

“That leaves the Admin and Communication pathways,” Minato said.

“Sakura, where were you?”

At the call of her name, her heart leapt to her throat. “I—I was in Medbay,” she stumbled over her words.

Tsunade nodded. “I left her there to inspect medical samples for me.”

With Tsunade’s backing, Sakura’s nerves eased the slightest. “Shortly after Tsunade left, Madara came to deliver Orochimaru’s physicals.” She turned her attention to Madara, but once again his body language gave away nothing.

“I asked him to deliver it because my schedule was filled,” Tsunade explained.

“He was with me for a while,” Sakura added. “Nearly up until the emergency meeting was called.” _So it couldn’t have been him._

But Hashirama wasn’t so quick to count him out. “What were you doing before that, Madara?”

“I cleared the northern asteroids, as per Tobirama’s request.” Madara’s deep voice was cold and toneless. Nothing out of the ordinary for him—after the Polus incident.

“I did,” Tobirama confirmed, brushing a piece of lint off his blue suit. “Our path would’ve taken us dangerously close to it.” He worked in navigation, so it was his job to steer the Skeld back home, while Madara worked in weapons, making sure their path was safe and secure. They often worked with each other, but seldom got along.

Satisfied with three people confirming Madara’s tasks and whereabouts, Hashirama moved on to Tobirama, then Minato, and lastly, Orochimaru. Tobirama was in navigation and only left to get lunch from the cafeteria. Itachi verified his movements from the security camera, so he was cleared. Minato had several duties that kept him from his office in communications. He was in storage filling up the gas canister, went to the lower engine to deposit it, then back to storage to refill the canister for the upper engine but stopped in electrical to chat with Kakashi. That was when he found the body. Orochimaru was in O2 cleaning the filter before emptying the garbage. He then went to storage to empty the second half of the garbage, which could’ve explained why his purple suit looked disheveled.

Orochimaru and Minato were the only ones without alibis.

Sakura didn’t know who to trust, but she didn’t feel like it was Minato. He was the one who found the body—if he was the killer, why would he report it? Not to mention that him and Kakashi were close. Orochimaru seemed far more suspicious to her. A mad scientist who was no longer allowed to conduct experiments...

Tobirama echoed her thoughts, as he immediately casted his suspicion on Orochimaru.

“Are you so sure? What would’ve been my motive then?” Orochimaru asked lightly. 

Sakura could almost imagine the wide twisted smile on his face. It was one she had seen before. He had always struck her as a strange individual but it was his lack of empathy and concern over the lives lost on Polus that really hammered in the nail. But what could the motive be? “A vendetta? Revenge?”

Orochimaru’s head snapped to her. “Why would I seek revenge on Kakashi, little girl? You’re Tsunade’s pupil; I expected more out of that brain of yours.”

Sakura’s face burned at his disparagement. “Vengeance is a common motive for murder. We need to put everything on the table,” she seethed.

Orichimaru leaned back into his seat. “In that case, it could’ve been an accident as well.”

“Now is not the time to play devil’s advocate,” Tsunade growled.

“I was merely putting _everything on the table_ ,” Orochimaru said mockingly, raising his chin towards Sakura.

Sakura slowly rose to her feet. “You think this is a joke?” she started quietly. “You think Kakashi’s death is a joke?” she shouted, slamming her fists down.

Orochimaru lifted his shoulders in response.

A hand wrapped around Sakura’s elbow before she could move. It was Tsunade, pulling her down forcefully. The older woman’s strength always surprised her. “Calm down,” Tsunade muttered under breath so only Sakura could hear. “Orochimaru has always been a wildcard. That doesn’t immediately make him the culprit. We need evidence.”

Feeling reprimanded, Sakura slumped down.

“This wasn’t an accident. Minato reported _two_ shots to the head,” Madara spoke up. Everyone turned to him. “Double tap is a shooting technique to improve accuracy. A shot to the head is almost always lethal, but there has been cases of survival when the bullet passes through non-critical parts of the brain. A .22 is narrow and can go through the body with relatively little damage in terms of shockwave. Velocity and bullet dynamics determine how much damage occurs. The killer wanted accuracy; wanted to ensure that he was dead.” Madara explained clinically.

“There doesn’t have to be a concrete motive per say; the killer could possibly be an opportunistic hunter. How well do we actually know each other?” Itachi pointed out. Beside him, Obito agreed.

An insidious wariness coiled around each and every one of them like a viper.

Hashirama released a deep sigh, his hands steepled before his brown helmet. “As of this moment, Orochimaru and Minato are the main suspects. No one was able to corroborate their stories during the time of the murder. We will search your rooms and offices, and all of your personal belongings.”

Minato was crestfallen, a contrast to Orochimaru’s unbothered demeanor.

“We _will_ find the killer,” Hashirama vowed, scanning everyone at the table.

“I understand. Please proceed with the investigation immediately. You have my full cooperation and I’ll offer help any way that I can. We have to catch Kakashi’s killer.” Minato turned to Orochimaru and his voice dropped. “Those who stray from the path of justice have no courage, but under the wings of a strong leader, cowardice cannot survive.”

Orochimaru threw his hands into the air, arms spread wide. “I have nothing to hide. His death doesn’t benefit nor hurt me. Search whatever you’d like, but you won’t find what you’re looking for. You might find something much worse,” Orochimaru said cryptically.

_Worse_? Sakura bit her lip so hard that she tasted iron.

“Everyone return to your office and remain there until Tsunade and I finish searching the rooms,” Hashirama commanded, standing up. The harsh sound of his chair scraping against the floor echoed through the cafeteria.

Tsunade rose next, giving her own orders. “Itachi and Obito, I want you glued to the security monitors. No one leaves. If you see a single foot step into vision, call an emergency meeting.” To everyone else, she made a solemn threat. “There _will_ be consequences.”

“Understood,” Itachi and Obito replied in unison, leaving first.

While everyone got up to go their separate ways, Sakura lingered behind watching Madara’s broad back as he walked the opposite direction to Weapons. When his dark figure disappeared into the shadows, she turned and headed back to Medbay in a stupor. Shock and grief finally caught up to her like a violent tidal wave threatening to pull her under. The deep sea and the deep space were not so different, she realized. They were two ends of a continuum of extremes, two final frontiers; so vast and largely unexplored. Staring out of the window, into the endless abyss of space, Sakura cried until there was nothing left in her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's my #nanowrimo day 2 update (i wrote this yesterday)! thanks for the comments and kudos <3 who would've known this weird crossover that i started writing over lunch breaks would have a cozy little audience lol
> 
> updates will be short and sporadic bc i'm in a very chaotic time of my life and i'm running with this stress free structure


	3. III.

In the earliest age of space exploration, when the integrity of spacecrafts’ takeoffs and landings weren’t absolute, firearms were brought in the case that ships came down in remote areas where astronauts would have to defend themselves against wild animals. Long ago there was a re-entry incident that established the firearms protocol of ‘65: a landing capsule landed over 1000 kilometers off-target when it came down north of Krasnoyarsk in Siberian wilderness early spring.

It was an unusually warm winter that year, and despite the crew’s relief that they wouldn’t have to survive against the region’s deadly winter, there were dangers that came with the early spring breeze. The crew came upon a cave for shelter, but the cave was already occupied.

Bears were dangerous predators, but a ravenous grizzly waking from hibernation? They stood no chance. Only two crewmates survived to escape with what was left of their friends’ bodies for a proper burial—a finger, a knee cap, a foot. Months later, one of the survivors took their own life from post traumatic stress disorder. They couldn’t live with the survivor’s guilt.

_If it’s brown, lay down. If it’s black, fight back. If it’s white, goodnight._

Sakura would always remember that phrase, even if it was unlikely that she’d ever encounter a bear. Being a space voyager certainly came with glory, but there was also a dark side to it.

After technological advances, the purpose for bringing firearms shifted. No longer was it for self-defense from earth’s wild animals, but the further and deeper into space they ventured, the more they discovered and the more uncertainty arose. Humans weren’t the only intelligent life forms in the galaxy. What if they landed on a planet with hostile inhabitants? They had to be prepared for everything, and thus, handguns became part of safety kits on every spaceship—the Skeld included. 

There were precautions set in place to prevent misuse or exploitation, Sakura recalled Tsunade explaining. One, the guns were always unloaded, and two, they were kept separate from the ammunition. All ammunition was stored in Admin, locked and secured under Hashirama’s watchful eyes, while the guns were held in Weapons under Madara’s authority. That way, the approval of both Captain and Weapons Commander were necessary for access.

Sakura paced back and forth in Medbay, lost in her own thoughts rather than doing the work she was assigned to. Who could focus on working when Kakashi’s murderer was on the loose?

The initial search didn’t take long. Living quarters on the Skeld weren’t exactly spacious and everyone came with few personal belongings. Sakura herself only brought a shoe box filled with books and photos. When Hashirama and Tsunade announced that no evidence was found in both Minato and Orochimaru’s rooms, the atmosphere on the ship grew even more strained. There was no gun, no bloody clothing, no bloody soles of boots found; nothing to point them in the right direction.

Despite Orochimaru’s cryptic words during the meeting, they also didn’t find anything out of the ordinary for the scientist. Just scientific journals full of nonsensical ramblings about foreign hosts and soul exchange. Nothing incriminating.

Sakura still suspected Orochimaru, and the missing gun bothered her the most. It was critical evidence that could reveal the identity of the killer, but it was nowhere to be found.

Hashirama and Tsunade checked Weapons after searching Minato and Orochimaru quarters, but all the guns were locked up and untouched. Madara even took apart every gun to make sure they weren’t used. Wear marks, powder residue, and grime were absent from all the pistols. The stockpile of ammo in Admin was also fully accounted for. So the gun in question had to have been smuggled on board, which complicated things even further because the security checks done by the Security team were thorough and strict. At least, they were supposed to be. Personal firearms weren’t allowed.

Sakura dropped into her seat with a frustrated sigh. The investigating team—or duo—were searching through everyone else’s rooms for any signs of evidence while she had to write up reports for another specimen inspection. It was the last thing she wanted to do. She desperately wanted to help, with _anything_.

Sakura loathed feeling helpless, but they were all temporarily forbidden from leaving their offices while the rest of the searches were being conducted, and there was little she could do in Medbay. She pulled out a blank sheet of paper and clicked her pen before dividing the page into three sections.

Clear:

Sakura (pink)

Tsunade (green)

Hashirama (brown)

Madara (black)

Suspicious:

Orochimaru (purple)

Minato (yellow)

Unknown:

Itachi (red)

Obito (orange)

Tobirama (blue)

She underlined Orochimaru’s name two times and added a question mark besides Minato’s name. Tsunade, Hashirama, and Madara were the only ones she was certain were clear. Itachi, Obito, and Tobirama had alibis, but they were mostly dependent on what Itachi was able to see through the limited fields of vision from the security cameras. Orochimaru and Minato were still the main suspects despite no evidence being found.

Next to the short list of suspects, she drew a box. Just as she connected the last corner, the screen on her arm lit up. A meeting was called.

Sakura prayed to the stars that they found a lead.

  
• . 。 ඞ 。 . • •

  
  


“We didn’t find the gun,” Tsunade announced in a harsh voice, arms crossed over her chest. She scanned the table, discreetly observing everyone’s reactions to the news. Since they all wore helmets, no one knew who she was watching, but that also made it impossible for her to gauge reactions through facial expressions.

To her left, Sakura—who was informed before everyone else arrived—also searched for clues in micro body expressions. Even if people didn’t express their feelings verbally, non-verbal messages could be interpreted through body movements and hand gestures, the smallest movements were often involuntary reactions: Minato’s helmet tilting down in disappointment, Itachi’s fist balling, Obito’s fingers strumming.

Orochimaru chuckled from his seat. “That’s quite a shame,” he crooned in an exaggerated manner.

“Every crewmate’s personal rooms have been cleared, along with Weapons and Admin...” Hashirama trailed off grimly.

“And you have nothing,” Orochimaru filled in, a hint of mirth in his tone.

“That’s impossible! How can there be no evidence? The gun must be somewhere on this ship,” Tobirama growled, leaning forward over the table.

“Whoever it was, they were careful. Attentive. This wasn’t a spur of the moment murder. It must have been meticulously planned beforehand,” Itachi muttered.

Orochimaru tapped a finger on his wisteria purple helmet. “I see why I’m the most suspected one here. I _am_ the most capable of this kind of feat. Perhaps I hid the gun right under your noses.”

Hashirama’s shoulders visibly dropped as he exhaled. He rubbed a glove-cladded hand over his helmet. “Now is not the time for games, Orochimaru. You’re highly suspect because not a single person could account for your location.” He turned to the rest of the crew and straightened, raising his chin in a show of assurance. “The gun is somewhere on this twenty tonne ship. We just haven’t found it _yet_.” His head turned towards Tsunade, who nodded. “With only two people searching, we’ll need more time to get through the rest of the Skeld.”

“We don’t have time—” Minato started.

“We do,” Obito interjected, lifting his hand. “We’re all stuck here for another six months at the very least. The killer can’t go anywhere, they can’t escape,” he reasoned, gesturing to the panoramic windows that spanned the cafeteria walls. They were in the infinite vastness of space, so the killer couldn’t get away, but that meant the crewmates couldn’t either. They were all trapped together.

Suddenly, the Skeld felt a little too small. A little too tight. A little too crowded with nine people and a dead body.

“While that _is_ true, we don’t know if or when or who the killer will attack next,” Minato explained.

A chill ran down Sakura’s spine. She was so caught up on Kakashi’s murder that it didn’t even occur to her that the killer could be plotting their next attack. And surely they were, with Tsunade and Hashirama breathing down everyone’s neck. “I don’t think it’s a question of _if_ , but certainly _when_.”

Orochimaru brought his hands together with a single clap. “Yes. Why stop with just one? Then our two detectives here can conduct another search and find nothing!”

“Can we throw him in a holding cell?” Sakura snapped, losing her patience.

Hashirama and Tsunade traded glances. A beat passed.

“No,” Hashirama answered firmly. “We have no evidence at this moment.”

“But he’s the most suspicious one,” Sakura argued, her features twisting behind her pink helmet. “He doesn’t have an alibi, he shows no concern nor care that Kakashi was murdered, and he keeps undermining the investigation!” Sakura listed on her fingers. “Even if he isn’t the killer, he’s a nuisance and should be held to keep the operations going smoothly, and we’ll also be able to keep his movements locked down so that’s one person accounted for.” _And if no one else is attacked while he was in a holding cell, then she’d be even more certain it was him._

“I’m inclined to agree,” Tobirama said after a moment.

The room began to stir with whispers.

“She makes a valid point,” Madara spoke up for the first time that meeting, his voice deep and steely. Everyone fell silent, waiting for his next words. Madara was the Weapons Commander, the second highest position on the ship, but there was something about him—his voice, his presence—that rivaled Captain Hashirama’s authority. He commanded attention and respect without any effort.

Sakura took in the sizable width of his shoulders and his powerful build, and his carbon black suit which made him look far more intimidating compared to Hashirama’s warm cedar brown suit and affable nature. Maybe part of it was the psychology behind color. Madara was like a looming shadow. Even Itachi and Obito looked small next to him, when they were anything but.

“Orochimaru can be held temporarily while Tsunade and Hashirama finish searching the ship,” Madara continued. “To prevent any obstruction of the investigation. Having him as a known variable would be beneficial. Less moving pieces.”

Mutters of agreement started, gradually rising in volume.

“We can take a vote. Let the majority decide.”

Sakura, Tobirama, Madara, Obito, Minato and Tsunade voted yes.

Hashirama and Itachi voted no.

And so it was decided.

Sakura felt her tense muscles relax just the slightest at the outcome. Her attention shifted to Madara and to her surprise, he was already watching her. A shot of warmth spread through her body. She would have to thank him later.

Orochimaru bursted out laughing maniacally, startling Sakura. “I’m very interested in seeing how this will unfold.”

“Everyone stay vigilant,” Hashirama warned, restraining the scientist.

• . 。 ඞ 。 . • •

With how busy Tsunade was, she enlisted Sakura’s help to complete the full autopsy on Kakashi’s body. Sakura was grateful for her mentor’s trust, but it was a rational decision as she was the only other medical expert on board while also having multiple alibis of her whereabouts during the time of the murder.

Sakura didn’t think she could complete the postmortem examination, but she had to. She had to for Kakashi’s sake, for everyone’s sake.

But she barely kept from throwing up when she laid eyes on her friend’s lifeless body, with two holes in his skull and dried blood dying his silver-white hair red. His eyes were still open, but the light was gone. Kakashi was gone. And when she touched him, all the warmth from his body and soul were gone as well. He was cold to the bone. It was a traumatic experience, considering how close Sakura was to him, but it had to be done, and she was glad she did it because when she stripped his clothing articles and went through his tool belt, she found something missing, something that he always kept with him while working.

She laid out the items one by one.

Pliers. Channel locks. Voltage tester. Pipe reamer.

His pockets were empty.

So where was his utility knife? Kakashi always had his utility knife on him. Everyone who worked in Electrical carried the same set of items.

She searched his body, but all she found was old faded scars. There were no signs of blade wounds on his body. _Did he try to fight back? Did he manage to draw blood?_ His missing knife was another thread. Another trail to follow. Another opportunity to find the killer.

Sakura presented Tsunade the new evidence and her autopsy findings: two shots were fired from close range, directly up front, entering from the front of his skull and leaving through the back. The bullet entered just above his left eye socket, and the second entered dead center on his forehead, shredding through his frontal lobe and exiting the occipital lobe. He died within seconds, maybe even before his body even hit the ground.

They went to check Electrical but his knife wasn’t there. It also wasn’t in his room. In a whirlwind, Sakura became part of the investigation team with Tsunade and Hashirama, tasked with the lead of the missing utility knife while they searched the rest of the ship. She was reinvigorated with a sense of purpose, and that night, for the first time, she didn’t shed a single tear.

_I’m going to find your killer, Kakashi. I promise._

• . 。 ඞ 。 . • •

Electrical remained closed off. Sakura, Tsunade, and Hashirama had access to the crime scene, but only Sakura frequented the grisly room to collect bloodstains as the other two were preoccupied. She wasn’t hinging on Hashirama and Tsunade finding the weapons, rather, she was focused on finding a different angle into the case with the implications of the knife. The only plausible reason the knife was missing was that it contained critical evidence that would expose the killer so they had to take it with them. If Kakashi managed to hurt his attacker, their DNA should be on that knife and in the very room he died in and someone on board was a match.

Blood evidence was irrefutable.

But that speculation was dependent on Kakashi drawing _enough_ blood to spill.

Sakura gathered over twenty blood samples from various parts of the room. She worked long into the night, day after day. Only a few hours of sleep in between the analysis of proteins, enzymes, and antigens present in the blood. Blood analysis was a lengthy process because Medbay wasn’t exactly set up for forensics investigations. She worked tirelessly and determined until her vision blurred, until she started imagining Kakashi standing behind her, telling her, “ _not that one_ ,” as she went through each analysis.

Nearly a week had passed but it felt more like a month. Tsunade and Hashirama completed a full sweep of the Skeld, but not a single piece of evidence was found.

No one else died but everyone was still on edge and wary of each other. The cafeteria stayed empty unless a meeting was called, the hallways were silent, and everyone kept to themselves in their own offices. In some ways, Sakura found that their current predicament was even worse than the Polus incident. What happened on Polus was an accident that resulted in a terrible tragedy, but this was a premeditated murder by someone smart enough to cover all their tracks. The killer was among them.

Since no one else died, Orochimaru became even more suspicious. He was locked up for the entire duration, so theoretically if he was the killer, no one else _could_ die. Hashirama however was resolute on releasing him since they had no concrete evidence that he committed the murder. Sakura could tell that the crew was growing increasingly frustrated by the lack of evidence and their inability to assist in the investigation, and perhaps, even more frustrated by Hashirama’s unwillingness to take stricter measures against the primary suspect.

“ _Justice might not be delivered swiftly, but it will be delivered properly,_ ” Hashirama had declared. They might have been millions of miles away from Earth, but they still had to function as lawful society would. Orochimaru couldn’t be held indefinitely without any ‘charges’, so to speak.

Sakura was hunched over a blood sample when the Medbay doors slid open. She straightened with a wince, feeling something crack in her lower back.

A dark silhouette towered just outside the doorway, under the flickering lights of the hallway.

“Hello?” Sakura hesitantly called out, squinting her tired eyes. She needed to get the light outside fixed, but with everything going on, she didn’t want to be a bother. As long as Medbay was illuminated, she could do her job. 

The figure strode in; black boots, black suit, black gloves, and black helmet. _Madara_. Sakura perked up, the haze in peripheral clearing up. She had minimum human interaction that week, so his presence was welcomed. He was also someone she was sure she could trust, as he was with her for the majority of the murder's time frame. Tobirama and Tsunade also accounted for his whereabouts.

“Doctor,” Madara greeted.

“Please, just Sakura,” she said quickly, smiling behind her helmet.

“Sakura,” he tested, his masculine voice low and deep.

The way her name rolled off his tongue gave her goosebumps. That, or it was the colder temperature of the room. Temperature, she decided in embarrassment.

She cleared her throat. “Hello Madara, what brings you here?”

He stopped a foot away from her work table and she had to tilt her head up to make helmet contact—eye contact wasn’t exactly possible considering how opaque the helmet's visors were—from her seat. Extending a hand, he answered, “To get my stitches removed.”

“Oh I forgot!” Sakura said in a rush, rising to her feet. “Thanks for reminding me, can you take a seat over there while I grab my tools?” She pointed to the same spot he sat when she first stitched him up.

He brushed past her wordlessly.

Sakura grabbed her scissors and tweezers and met him back at the table, where he already had his hand palm up, black glove removed. Again she could see a glimpse of his tendon and the faintest blue tint of the branching veins on his inner wrist. For a brief moment, she felt the inexplicable urge to trace those veins up his arm. Instead, her eyes drew down to where she was supposed to be inspecting.

“It’s healing nicely,” she observed, holding his thick fingers down while she examined the scar tissue. There was no sign of infection. “Do you feel any lingering pain?”

“No,” he answered, watching her intently while she pressed softly against the first cross of sutures.

“A dull ache?”

“Nothing.”

Sakura glanced up at him in alarm, brows drawn together. “Well that’s not good. Your hand is numb?” She pressed down slightly harder on the center of the scar tissue, but there was no reaction from him.

“I can feel you pressing down, but there’s no pain or discomfort,” Madara explained dryly while she continued to prod him, testing different areas.

“Oh!” she quickly lifted her finger off. “Well then that’s good. Normally you’d feel some residual discomfort or a slight ache within the first two weeks,” she elaborated as she picked up the scissors and slipped it into the first loop. His tissue was regenerating quickly, and he also likely had a high pain tolerance.

_Snip_.

Using the tweezer, she gently pulled on the thread until the suture slipped through his skin. Around them, the medical machines continued to beep and drone, filling the silence between them.

“Thank you,” Sakura said quietly when the thread was completely removed. She held the edge of his much larger hand, relishing the warmth radiating from his skin through her pink glove. The warmth of someone alive.

“I should be thanking you,” Madara said, nodding to his hand.

“This is my job,” Sakura said, still staring at his hand and clinging to the faint warmth. She shook her head as emotions began to well in her throat. “I wanted to thank you for backing my suspicions of Orochimaru during the meeting,” she clarified. “They were more likely to agree with you since you’re an authoritative figure.”

“They should be agreeing with reason and logic,” he returned before slipping his hand out of her grasp and rising. “Which you offered.” He slid his glove back on.

At the sight of him preparing to leave, Sakura remembered something. “Wait, I have something for you,” she called over her shoulder as she hurried to her desk. She slid open the bottom drawer and pulled it out, but hesitated for a moment. Her fingers tightened around the edges as she heard him approach from behind.

Makeshift gift in her hands, she spun around and extended her arms. “Here you go.”

Madara tilted his head. “This is...?”

“A cutting board,” Sakura said, flushing. “It was actually an extra clipboard I had laying around but I removed the clip...as you can see.” She coughed. “So now it’s a cutting board for your apples.” _For Izuna_.

“Ah.”

“I cleaned it of course,” Sakura quickly added, hoping that he wouldn't find it ridiculous.

Madara placed a heavy hand on her helmet and stared at the contrast with a vague interest. Black and pink. “Thank you. You’re working hard, make sure you get some rest.” He patted her helmet gently.

Sakura peered up at him. “I—I will,” she said, her face tinted a shade not so far off from her suit. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> • . 。 ඞ 。 . • •  
> darlington was not an imposter.  
> 2 imposters remain.


End file.
